Student spotlight: Meghan Hawkins
November 17, 2016
By Emma Alexander,
Communications Intern
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Sports are undoubtedly a significant part of American culture. Many of our highest paid citizens are athletes. However, we are not necessarily educated on sports in school or the legislation which surrounds them. One piece of legislation which many people associate with sports is Title Nine. Title IX is a living document; it is ever changing in meaning and interpretation. Interestingly, a mention of sports is never included in the actual wording of the document.
As it turns out, Title IX is a great deal more influential and versatile than many people realize, and Honors College student Megan Hawkins has taken it upon herself to delve deeper into the subject. Hawkins is a fourth generation Boilermaker from West Lafayette studying Management and Finance. She first became interested in Title IX after taking an HONR class about Sports and Politics with Dr. Dwaine Jengelley. A portion of the class curriculum reviewed Title IX, and it was this learning experience that sparked Hawkins’ initial interest in Title IX. Originally, however, her intent was to research more about gender roles in sports and the differences between the most popular male and female professional sports. For instance, the highest paid female athletes are in golf and tennis, while the highest paid male athletes are in football and basketball. What other differences exist and what is their cause? As she contemplated these questions, Title IX quickly rose to the surface of the pool of knowledge into which Hawkins found herself swimming. As a pre-law student, she found Title IX to be a very intriguing piece of legislation and quickly changed her research focus to that instead.
Hawkins’ work is attempting to explore Title IX across generations. She is currently interviewing three people from different generations of Title IX to see how it has changed throughout history. One of the women who Hawkins is currently interviewing played tennis at Texas Christian University (TCU) when Title IX was enacted. So, she began her college career as an intramural tennis player, not on scholarship. Then, when Title IX came into being, tennis was made a varsity sport. Hawkins shared that,
“It was very interesting to speak to the woman from Texas, because she essentially embodied the change Title IX brought about. The way in which she was viewed by others and the resulting negative feelings which she came to harbor towards the act of legislation herself are intriguing and rather surprising.”
Hawkins is also talking to someone currently in their mid-forties. This woman grew up with Title IX, so she has been able to see it evolve. Additionally, Hawkins is talking to a current college athlete at Purdue. The athlete elaborated that Title IX is now less centered around athletics and is becoming an avenue for women to be able to protect themselves (in sexual assault cases for instance).
Hawkins is also very involved as the President of Women in Business. She explained that her research ties to women in business, because she is hoping to find that Title IX is versatile and can be used in other applications as well to defend people when it comes to many barriers and gender gaps which exist in the workplace. Hawkins’ mentor in her research is also the Director of the Jane Brock-Wilson Women in Management Center, which just opened this year. Megan is completing this project as a part of her Honors Scholarly Project, and she plans to present her research to various women’s groups on campus as well as to student athletes when she is finished.
Looking forward, Megan hopes to apply for one of the international scholarships through NISO. She believes it would be thrilling to go overseas and see how these issues of gender are treated in other cultures and if there are any comparable pieces of legislature. Beyond this, Megan plans to pursue a law degree with the end goal of becoming an attorney for special needs families. According to Megan, there are currently only two special needs trust attorneys in the state of Indiana, so her action in this community will certainly not go unnoticed. Again, we have another great example of a student in our Honors community positively impacting the lives of those around her. Keep up the great work Megan; I know you have great things in store for you!